Our sourwood honey is collected from the sourwood trees located in the foothills and mountain regions of North Carolina. Annually we transport our bees to locations having a higher concentration of sourwood trees so our bees can collect as much of the sourwood nectar as possible.
Our Sourwood Honey's Flavor
Our sourwood honey is light in color with a hint of amber color. It has a thinner consistency than our spring wildflower honey not as sweet as our wildflower honey with a very smooth classic sourwood taste that sits on the back of your throat. It's just what people are looking for when they are looking for the "Cadilac" of honeys.
What were the Floral Sources?
The main floral source the bees where collecting nectar from to make our sourwood honey came from the Sourwood tree. In our area, the Sourwood tree blooms from mid-June through mid-July, which is the last major source of nectar for the bees to collect before entering a dearth period (a period of no nectar/pollen for the bees to collect). The "flow" can be hit or miss depending on how wet or dry the period leading up to the bloom is. While a sourwood crop can be made in years, usually a beekeeper can expect a strong flow resulting in a good crop every 4-5 years.
At this time, other floral sources can be in bloom at this time and get mixed in with the sourwood. The timing of placing the supers on the hives can help to mitigate the mixing but not 100% preventing it from occuring. Still if the sourwood comprises 51% or greater in the honey then it is considered sourwood honey and will have that unique sourwood taste that many are looking for.
How we process our honey?
When we process our honey you are getting raw, unfilitered natural honey that is not...
- Heated
- Honey should never be heated over 104° F. Heating honey over 104° F for a prolonged amount of time usually associated with pasteurization will kill all the beneficial enzymes added in the honey by the bees. Honey that is sold in big box and grocery stores often pasteurize honey at 160-170°.
- Filtered
- We strain our honey to remove larger chunks of wax or debris that can get into the honey during the extraction process. We do not filter our honey, so it's possible that particles of fine wax and pollen are present in the honey. This fine wax and pollen called, "honey foam", will form a ring around the top of the bottle and is an indicator the honey you're buying is raw. Honey sold in major grocery and big box stores is often heated and pumped through fine micron filters to remove all pollen and wax, which eliminates this "honey foam" from the bottle.
- Had antibiotics introduced to the bees. We do feed probotics, which are scientifically proven to help keep the bees strong and healthy but never are any antibiotics fed to the bees, so our honey will not have antibiotics present in it.
- Had synthetic miticides used for treating varroa mites. We only use organic acids when treating our bees to help control varroa mites. These organic acids pose no health risks to the bees, the environment, the honey and to you. These organic acids already exist in nature and many foods that we already eat including honey itself.
How to store honey long-term?
The best way to store our bee-licious honey long term is to freeze it. It prevents the honey from crystallizing (turning to sugar) and preserves the enzyme activity the bees have added to the honey.
How do I liquefy my crystallized honey?
Many people have told me that my honey has "gone bad" because it has crystallized and turned back to sugar. While honey can darken and lose its flavor over time, turning back to sugar is a natural occurrence for all honeys. Some more so than others, especially those honeys with more pollen content in it. But don't worry you can easily liquefy your crystalllized honey.
Gently warm it in a hot water bath of 104° F, which is the minimum temperature to liquefy granulated honey. Never try to liquefy crystallized honey in a microwave. Doing so will kill the natural beneficial enzymes add to the honey by the bees.
